


Bite the Hand that Feeds You

by sepulchralseneschal



Series: The Snakeoil Warden [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 07:13:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12930186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sepulchralseneschal/pseuds/sepulchralseneschal
Summary: Before they were heroes, the Tabris cousins were troublemakers. And before they were troublemakers, they were little baby brats.





	Bite the Hand that Feeds You

Sometimes you could forget what the Alienage was. Some easy summer afternoons, when the sun bathed everything in gold and it was not yet hot enough for the streets to steam and stink. Niale lived for days like these, stealing moments away from her parents' gaze, counting each minute that her mother forgot to call her in for the evening. The shadows were long now, and cut dramatically across doorframes and alleyways. Perfect for sneak attacks. 

She tucked herself into an alcove between Teodor's house and a garden wall and waited, knuckles pressed pale around a freshly picked switch. Any minute now the shadow of the Vhenadahl would hit the general store's door - the sign of the start of her parents' curfew - and Soris would head home. He was a good boy: never disobeyed a rule.

Every second was agony; her very skin itched with excitement, and she had to keep her lip latched beneath her teeth to keep from giggling. She had fidgeted nearly all her energy away by the time her cousin came into view, but she leapt forward all the same and hollered to wake the dead.

“ _On guard!_ ” She yelled, and jabbed Soris hard in the side with her twiggy little sword.

The boy squeaked and scampered back, clutching his rib.

“Niale, you're such a butt!”

“ _Arse_ ,” she corrected. “Say it.” She lunged at him again.

“Ow!” Soris held up a hand in protest. “Quit it!”

“Say arse!” She swiped to the side. The switch whistled in the air, barely missing the outstretched limb.

“ARSE! You're an arse, Niale!”

She stuck her sword out before her and flung her free hand up in the air, like those knights on the broadsides nailed to the printer's door. “ _On guard, Mishew_!”

“I don't even have a sword!” He pleaded.

Niale frowned. Maker, he was whiny. “That's not my problem. A _Shevalyay_ is always ready for a fight. That jus' means your not a good one.”

“Elves don't get to be knights, Niale.” Typical Soris, always trying to win with a technicality. But she wouldn't let him this time.

“Well, they do in _Orlay_.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yuh huh!”

“Who says!?”

“Loren.”

Soris crossed his arms and tossed his head back. “How would Loren know? He's never been! Besides, you can't be a chevalier because we're Ferelden. Everyone knows we're enemies.”

“We're not Fereldens, we're elves!”

“We're _Ferelden_ elves.”

Niale squinted at him. “...You're just making up rules to ruin the fun.” And with that she resumed her attack. 

Soris squealed again, but before she could advance to deal the winning blow, she felt something heavy punch the air out of her chest. As she fell, she looked down and saw a mass of carrot colored braids, and two arms wrapped around her midsection.

The next thing she knew she was on the ground, clouds of dust stinging her eyes and throat, as Shianni cackled and sat on her stomach. 

“What are you doing!?!”

“We're fighting!”

“We aren't fighting, we're dueling. You're not playing fair!”

“You always say that when you're losing!” Shianni was grinning, and grabbing at Niale's wrists as she flailed. “ _You're_ the one who cheats!”

As Shianni caught one of her arms, Niale pulled it back and tried to bite it, missing skin but catching a sleeve. She began to kick.

“Maker, she's gone feral!” Soris said. She looked at him and he, too, was grinning. He held her dropped sword in his hand. 

Shianni tore her sleeve away and Niale's teeth landed on her lower lip. The taste of blood filled her mouth. Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes.

Soris' grin began to falter. “Let her up, Shianni.”

“What? No! She's being a shit!”

“So are you!” 

Shianni paused. She looked at Soris for a moment, and seemed about to argue, but then Niale's legs went limp, and she began to whimper. Her shoulders shook with the softest, tiniest sobs.

“You see?”

Shianni frowned. She let go of Niale's hands, and they flopped to the ground.

“I'm sorry cousin,” she said turning back to look at her. “I didn't mean to play so rou-!”

And Niale struck, like a spider, spitting blood up into Shianni's face. Both her cousins wailed and made retching noises. She used the distraction to wriggle out from beneath Shianni's legs.

"Augh! Cheater!!"

“Niale Tabris, the _shevalyay_!” She shouted as she ran down the alley, her fist raised high in the air. “Tough As Nails!”

And then her face collided with the back of someone's skirts.


End file.
